Art

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Art

A Decade of Daniel Arsham’s Material Explorations Opens at Amsterdam’s MOCO Museum

Connecting Time is an exhibition that spans a decade of work by Daniel Arsham (previously), and was organized in collaboration with Galerie Ron Mandos and Perrotin for MOCO Museum in Amsterdam. In addition to the debut of Calcified Room and a specially designed iteration of Amethyst Ball Cavern, is one of the iconic pieces Hidden Figure (2011) from the Elastic Walls series. The piece is constructed from fiberglass, paint, and joint compound, and is a classic example of the artist’s ongoing play with the perception of physical space in addition to his experimentation with material properties.

Arsham continually challenges the notion of what 3-dimensional art should be by creating the illusion of familiar materials or architectural elements performing in unusual ways. Pieces like Corner Knot (2008) and Falling Clock (2012) are prime examples of this way of working, and are positioned opposite of each other in the artist’s 10-year showcase.

Arsham’s entire series of sculptural pieces from his fictional archaeology series dominates the basement of the museum. This body of work was directly inspired by the artist’s visit to Easter Island several years ago, and the uncertainty about the real history of the island’s monumental sculptures. Inspired by the idea of creating future artifacts, Arsham developed a whole range of different procedures and techniques to create eroded and decayed versions of po culture items. Using geological substances such as volcanic ash, rose quartz, obsidian, and glacial rock, he continuously adds new items to this opus, each time constructing the latest artifact with different material.

Although he has previously taken objects from areas that he is personally attached to, such as sports, music, or pop culture, the show in Amsterdam includes a new series of works created from flat, printed works such as books, magazines, and food packaging. You can follow Arsham’s latest work, projects, and releases on Instagram, and visit Connecting Time until September 30th, 2019 at MOCO Museum in Amsterdam. Another solo exhibition, Static Mythologies, is also on view in Amsterdam at Galerie Ron Mandos through March 16, 2019.

Art Photography

Light Installations by Javier Riera Project Concentric Circles and Geometric Cubes onto Mountains and Trees

Spanish artist Javier Riera designs and photographs light projections that fit perfectly onto specifically shaped trees and their branches. The geometric forms are inspired by the particular landscape, and are used to reveal what Riera perceives to be latent dimensions or energies embedded in the natural environment.  “His hopes the photographs deepen the connection between nature and the audience, allowing the viewer to find a greater appreciation for the multitude of layers that compose the nature world.

“[I am interested in] those moments in which the outside (the landscape) begins to be perceived as something very intimate, while our internal world begins to be perceived with some distance,” says Riera to Colossal. “It is almost as if it becomes external to us, and for that reason it is clarified.”

Although the visual aspect of a location is important to Riera’s design, a large part of his process is researching the landscape’s history, including the people that inhabit or visit it. This information allows him to develop an original pattern or structure for the projection, while also remembering the place more holistically as the work develops. Riera will have work in the upcoming Umbria Light Festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain from February 21-23, 2019. You can see more of his projected light works on his website and Instagram.

Art

Willow Branches Shaped into Flowing Abstract Installations by Laura Ellen Bacon

British sculptor Laura Ellen Bacon twists, ties, and knots pieces of willow and other raw materials to create large-scale abstract sculptures which she installs both inside and outside of architectural structures. The pieces often involve several stages of sketching, and weeks of weaving using her hands and few other tools. Bacon’s twisting reddish-brown forms hug and scale buildings, walls, and other existing space and landscapes in interesting and intimate ways.

“My work often ‘grows’ from a host structure as I’m very interested in the tension between built, planned structures, and the ‘unplanned’ organic form that may grow upon it,” the artist tells Colossal. “I’m also very interested in the human scale of handmade structures and have created several woven spaces in recent years that people can enter inside—creating and entering the work can be a very sensory experience.”

Bacon finds interest and inspiration in nature and natural phenomena, like the swirling patterns or murmurations formed by some flocking birds. The visual poetry, scale, and juxtaposition of each piece to its setting can be seen from a distance, but it takes a closer approach to appreciate the seemingly chaotic web of expertly intermingled natural materials.

In addition to developing two very large pieces that will use several tons of stone and willow, the artist says that she will be exhibiting a new work with jaggedart at this year’s Collect: International Art Fair for Modern Craft and Design. The fair opens at London’s Saatchi Gallery on February 28 and runs through March 3, 2019. You can view more of her sculptures by visiting her website, Instagram, and Twitter.

Art

Finding Hope: A Balloon Mural by Mehdi Ghadyanloo Brings Levity to the 2019 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

Iranian muralist and fine artist Mehdi Ghadyanloo is the creator of the poetic mural recently installed in the lobby of the Congress Centre in Davos, Switzerland, where the 2019 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is currently taking place. After participating in the forum last year as one of the speakers, Ghadyanloo contributed a large-scale commissioned painting titled Finding Hope, designed specifically for this event.

The work is comprised of three separate panels installed in the main entry hall of the Congress Centre, and depicts a young girl with a floating red balloon. Although Ghadyanloo was initially challenged by the unusual structure of the inward facing walls, he decided to create a triptych whose parts correlate with each other in both a hopeful and tense narrative. The balloon suggests innocence when paired with the little girl, while noting possible destruction when placed opposite of a sharp needle.

“The audience here has more power to create real change than the rest of the world,” Ghadyanloo tells Colossal, “so this is a good place to touch their hearts and ask them to do something. Not in a direct way as they are used to be asked, but in a kind of a visual, poetic way I would say.”

Last year, joined by a small team of muralists from his hometown, the artist completed Rebuilding the Sky in Almetyevsk, Russia, in similar style to his perspective-challenging and illusion-based works in Tehran. Ghadyanloo wanted to add joyfulness and color to the concrete look of the city. Around the same time, he also painted a piece titled The Fraud and Hope on the rooftop of the OK Center for Contemporary Art in Linz, Austria, which depicts a huge water swirl and a gaping black hole. The piece was created as commentary on the issue of the global warming, melting ice, and the role of water, but also references migration crises and the artist’s personal phobias.

Although Ghadyanloo is known worldwide for the 100 large murals he painted in Tehran between 2004 and 2011, the Iranian artist has taken a little break from public works in the recent years. “I was doing more personal things in my studio and enjoyed to be away from this responsibility that I feel on my shoulder when I work in public,” he explains. “I think now is the time for action, to do more public art projects besides my gallery paintings.” You can view more of Ghadyanloo’s reality-bending murals and paintings on his website and Instagram.

Art

A Life-Size Skeleton and Organs Crocheted from Wool by Shanell Papp

Canadian artist Shanell Papp crochets forms associated with the human figure, notably crocheting a life-size skeleton stuffed with colorful removable organs. The work was created in 2005 from wool yarn, and includes everything from a soft crocheted heart to ten hollow phalanges. After working for four months on the skeleton, and four months on the organs, the final work was displayed on an actual mortuary gurney. If you are interested in more handmade anatomy, check out Dr. Karen Norberg’s scientifically-accurate soft sculpture of the human brain. (via designboom)

 

Art

Pixelated Wooden Faces by Gil Bruvel Reveal Abstract Color Explorations When Exhibited in Verso

For his unusual figurative sculptures artist Gil Bruvel splits lengths of lumber into manageable sticks which he arranges and paints in bright shades of blues, greens, and reds. On one side, the wooden pieces configure into faces at rest in peaceful expressions, while on the reverse they remain jumbled and abstract. The pixelated sculptures appear like sophisticated pieces of three-dimensional pin art that reveal permanent images of faces, instead of temporary impressions of a nose or hand. Pieces from the series, Bending the Lines, will be on display in Federic Got Gallery’s booth as a part of the LA Art Show from January 23 – 27, 2019. You can see more of Bruvel’s sculptures on his website and Instagram.

 

Art Illustration

Flower Petals and Stems Transform into Animals and Insects in Inventive New Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Raku Inoue (previously) goes all-white in his latest flower petal compositions. The Montreal-based creative uses flower petals, stems, and leaves to form creatures ranging from owls and tigers to beetles and butterflies in his ongoing Natura series. Inoue takes advantage of the natural curvatures and shapes of his source materials to create lively interpretations of animals. In Inoue’s owl, densely-petaled mums form the bird’s fluffy belly, while the angular outlines of alstroemeria create the exoskeleton and horns of a beetle. By using largely intact plants, the artist heightens the aliveness of his creations, bridging both flora and fauna. You can see more of his work on Instagram and Behance.